Downgraded Upgrade
by HyperionX
Summary: The successor to Keima's favorite handheld, the PFP, finally released today and nothing is gonna stop him from purchasing it. An upgrade, certainly. Now if only that certain athlete would just let him play in peace.


Keima Katsuragi, the 'God of Conquest', already in his uniform, hurriedly went out of his room, and rushed down the stairs skipping one of the most important meals of the day. It made her mother, Mari Katsuragi, a little frustrated and concerned. "Keima! What's the rush? You haven't eaten breakfast yet!"

Even the delicious-looking food did not hinder this god from executing his plans perfectly today. "Sorry, it's really important that I leave right now!"

Hearing the bang of the door, Mari sighed. "When is he gonna change..." At least the sight of her daughter made her brighten up a little. "Ahh good morning Eri!"

Walking towards the table, she said, "Good morning!" She greeted with her usual cheery smile. She was also already in her school uniform. As she sat down on her chair, she noticed something out of the ordinary, or was it the other way around? "Uhh, where's nii-sama?"

Mari crossed her arms. "He said that he had to do something important." The thought surely formed a slight frown on her lips. "It's most likely to buy a new game again." She just wanted Keima to at least lessen down his hours of gaming. Thinking it was perhaps only possible in another world made her softly chuckle.

Eri merely giggled. "Nii-sama's surely dedicated to his games!"

Mari moved her arms on to the dining table and held her hands together. Seeing this jolly attitude of Eri really made her delighted to see that at least she wasn't affected by Keima's gaming habits. She always looked so cheerful and positive, and she just hoped that she would always stay like that. "I'm sure he isn't that far off yet, you can catch up to him if you want!"

Eri smiled and nodded. She grabbed and consumed the remaining portion of her breakfast and before she could forget, also got her brother's breakfast for her to bring along. "Thank you for the delicious food!" She stood up from her chair and hurriedly went outside to catch up with her brother.

* * *

"Elsi- Eri, what are you doing following me?! Just go to school!" Keima mentioned with a stern look. It has been only a few days since the demon -er- person that he has found troublesome ever since all those conquests transformed into an actual human, so he still had some difficulty getting used to her new identity. _Even a former demon like you can't ruin today's conquest!_

Her reaction was her usual outburst. "But nii-sama! It's still too early! I'm gonna be all alone in school!"

Breathing heavily from all the running and his energy being depleted every passing second, all he could produce was a small groan. "Fine, but if you do something to delay my conquest, you're gonna regret it!"

"Eh?!" In Eri's view, it looked like as if his teeth all became sharp, with a red aura of rage emanating from around his body. She was definitely terrified of this not so uncommon image of the God of Conquest as she can never get used to it. But it piqued her curiosity; what else was there to conquer? The contract was already finished. They were already free. There was no choker around his neck as she looked and confirmed. Panting, she asked, "But nii-sama, wasn't it already finished?"

He just had to frown. As expected, this girl had no idea what was going at all. But it soon morphed into a smile as soon as he saw the conquest location getting even closer. "No Eri, it isn't over yet." He pointed his finger forward. "There! There it is!" After a quite long run, they finally stopped.

Eri didn't know what was going on right now. Why did he stop in the middle of the street? That's when she noticed the people in front of them. "W-what's happening? Why are there so many people?" Then her mind snapped, finally realizing the situation. _Oh, is this what they call a line?_

Keima turned around, staring at his so-called sister seriously. Putting a finger up, he asked, "Do you know what day it is today?"

Having no idea at all, she replied, "Monday?" She giggled nervously.

"No! Well, it _is_ Monday, but that's not important!" He adjusted his glasses. "Today is the release day of the newest handheld from NEK! It is called… the PF Uita!"

"PF Uita?" Eri repeated.

"That's right! Though I don't know much about the hardware, I think it's safe to assume that since it's most likely more advanced than the PFP, the visuals will have more fidelity, and the music and sound quality will be improved! It's as if the girls are just talking beside you!" He clearly couldn't hide his excited grin from the look on his face, giving some people nearby bad impressions. "And with less limitations, the girls in the games will act and look better too!" A laugh emanated from his mouth, to which Eri found normal, being used to it and all, but to others, it sounded like he was some creep.

"Wait, so what does this have to do with the conquest nii-sama?"

Keima chuckled at her cluelessness. "Eri, this _is_ the conquest!"

"Eh?!" What kind of conquest was this? The only conquests she knew of was her nii-sama trying to capture Loose Souls from the girls, as well as awakening the Goddesses. This was something entirely different. Perhaps this is the new set of conquests that he will do from now on, since the Loose souls and Goddesses conquests were finished? Yes, an exciting new adventure for her awaits! With that in thought, she smiled brightly. "Nii-sama! What can I do to help?!"

He crossed his arms. "You don't have to, I already planned everything." It instantly shot down Eri's hopes. He took his beloved PFP out of his pocket, checking the time. "But I didn't expect many people to already appear. It is only 6:20 right now, and the store opens at 7:00." He turned around, observing the line. "From the length of this line, it's easy to guess that we are currently in the first hundred to enter the store, and it is highly unlikely that the store has less than a hundred of these new units in stock. The only thing we need now is to be patient."

She was always impressed by his quick thinking, but the realization that this was the only way to accomplish this conquest made her hang her head down and frown. "We have to wait that long?"

"If you don't have the patience, you might as well go to school now." Keima insisted, and started playing on his PFP, where he was the total master of conquering girls. Virtual girls. But one idea popped up in his head. "Unless perhaps, you still have your Celestial Robe, we can be the first in line." He didn't want to resort to using such dirty tactics unless otherwise needed. It was merely a suggestion so that she can stop complaining. Only he was met with her shaking her head. "Well then, we'll have to wait, but you can go ahead."

Not wanting to leave him, Eri shook her head again, but Keima was already too absorbed by his PFP to notice. "Nope, I'm sticking by your side! Also, it's a good thing I brought the breakfast you didn't eat huh? With this long line, I'm sure you're gonna get really hungry soon nii-sama!" She chuckled. It's a surprise he hasn't noticed that bento she was holding the entire time.

He was too focused on his galge game. But once that word registered in his brain, his stomach couldn't help but to rumble. No, he had to complete his current virtual conquest as fast as possible! Food is merely an obstacle to his goals, and he hated how his real self required such substances. Yet in the end, he gave in and took it from her sister. Might as well take a time out for a short time rather than getting sick a whole day, or worse, even longer.

And the former demon couldn't do anything but to just watch her brother play.

* * *

They still had half an hour to spare too. "Finally, now for the best part…" They already arrived at their classrooms not so long ago, and it was enough time for Keima to explore his new device.

Eri went out to go sightseeing for fire engines.

Others were already in the classroom as well, and some of them were familiar faces, but he didn't seem to notice, focusing only at the blue and white box placed on his table. "…unboxing." He grinned.

A certain athlete approached him, and placed her hands on her hips. It wasn't much of a surprise that she was early. Being an athlete and all certainly required serious time management. "Are you seriously unboxing in school, Keima?" It was okay to call him with his first name, right? Besides, they both knew each other, and she still…

A blush appeared on her cheeks. She just approached him and asked a simple question, yet she still failed miserably to remain composed around him. She shook her head, wanting to get these thoughts out. But as soon as he looked at her, she couldn't help but stare at those wonderful eyes of his behind those signature spectacles, even if those eyes looked cold as they usually were.

"There's always time to unbox, Ayumi! And the time is now!" There was still a lot of time before classes start, making it easier for him rather than doing it while there was a teacher in front. As an added bonus, he could even play it too without the risk of it getting confiscated.

Ayumi noticed the design on the box. Something about the device being displayed on it seemed familiar to her. Before Keima could even slide the single flap that served as the lock, she realized it, making her gasp. "Wait a minute, you bought the PF Uita?!"

Keima wasn't even surprised she knows. _She probably read the details on the box_. He didn't bother glancing at her and continued unboxing his new handheld with a smile. He simply nodded as a reply.

"And on the first day too… how did you even collect so much money?"

Keima frowned. Why did the real hate him so much? _Please stop asking questions and let me unbox in peace! _He had to make his answer as short as possible to prevent losing time. Taking a quick break to look at Ayumi, he replied, "M-funds is the answer Ayumi. M-funds." He didn't care if it was embarrassing. He was already used to the physical abuse he got from this speed demon anyway. It's not like she would understand what it means.

"M-funds?" It was a term foreign to her. Perhaps it was a term only a gamer like him to understand. Gamer… she thought it was a much better nickname rather than Otamega, which she stopped calling him after those events.

Keima did become curious though as to how she knew so much about this handheld. Maybe she secretly liked games too? The only way to find out and end this quickly is to ask. But even so, the possibility of this girl of the real lying about it is very likely. Ugh, curse the real for these traits and time-wasting decisions! "How do you know about this anyway?"

Ayumi choked for a moment there. It's not like she could just say she deliberately searched for anything related to games just so she could potentially, possibly, _hopefully_, get closer to him since she could relate to him, right? No! No way! Gulping out of nervousness, she finally gave her response, "W-Well I just to happen to hear about it since it's new and all it can't be avoided that people will talk about it." Did he buy it? She really hoped so! But knowing him…

Meanwhile, Keima's suspicions were spot on. "Hmm, if that was the truth, you wouldn't have stuttered in the first place, and you were talking really fast when you didn't have any reason to." He quickly went back and unboxed his handheld. His eyes glistened in awe as he finally saw the unit itself, with its nicely blended blue and white color. The design was indeed an upgrade from the PFP, and with that in mind, Keima was now more excited than ever.

CRITICAL HIT! GAME OVER! Ayumi felt like she was just knocked out with a blow to her head. He read her like a book. She stood there in a daze, her cheeks letting off steam with how hot they were. She just plopped down on the seat beside him, keeping quiet. While Keima was enjoying the moment, it was the exact opposite for her.

After thoroughly inspecting his new handheld, Keima finally arrived at the best part – the game. If only he wasn't drooling, well, his excitement would still be obvious with that wide grin. He took the game box out and it was the sequel to his favorite galge game, of course, since it featured his favorite heroine. He looked at the game cover art in wonder. "Yokkyun! After such a long time, we are finally reunited once again!" He quickly inserted the cartridge into the slot on top of the handheld. And as he waited for the game to load, his smile wavered slightly as he noticed Ayumi was still there beside him.

But he didn't bother talking to her, and his wide smile appeared once again as the game now loaded to the main menu. New game. He chuckled, as the god of galge games he was also happy that he found a new game to play, while he did have a lot to play, they were mediocre in terms of the art and conversation events. Now this, he was assured this game will not disappoint.

Until he encountered the first girl. He gasped in horror. "What… is this…?" He did not expect this. At all.

Ayumi noticed the tone in Keima's voice and couldn't help but glance at him. The smile on his face was gone.

"What is this polygonal mess?!" The textures, the less detailed costumes, and the terrible expressions. The girls in the game were now… 3D. _Noooooo!_

Ayumi stood up and saw the screen. "Hmm? What's wrong with it?"

Keima groaned. As if the answer can't be more obvious. "3D belongs to the real! Why did they have to infect games with it?!" With all his anger, he suddenly noticed some text at the bottom of the screen. "Huh? You can rotate the camera?" Now that he thought about it, he never saw the back of the girls in any galge game he has played. This was a first. Hah, not that it's gonna give him a better impression of this game. It has been buried too deep already. Nonetheless, he was curious and tried it out.

Unfortunately, curiosity killed the god. It was a truly shocking sight. "WHY IS HER BACK HOLLOW?!" The character was literally just front-half. "Why put that option if you didn't even model her back?!"

Even Ayumi looked horrified. "T-That's just creepy!"

Keima hurriedly looked at the back of the game case. "It was made by the same developers who created the first game, but why? Why is the quality of the sequel like this?" _And again, why did they make the girls 3D?!_

Ayumi was determined. She couldn't give up now! This was her chance. Clearing her throat, she said, "They probably had a rushed development. Either that or they probably didn't have enough funding for it, seeing as how galge games do in general." She glanced nervously at him then the handheld, back and forth. She was eager to know if he was impressed, that even a girl like her knew some things about the gaming world. Just thinking about the possible success of this plan of hers made her heart thump faster than it normally would.

Keima was certainly taken aback. He did not expect such words to come from an athlete like her. He glanced at her sternly, saying, "So you _are _interested in games… not only do you know the state of galge games, but you also know what goes behind the scenes…"

The athlete's cheeks were blushing once again. Seriously, it happened so many times already that she swore they were starting to become numb. And it's all thanks to Keima's face up close to hers. Darn it, why did he have to lean so close just to get his point across?!

Realizing how close he was getting, a rare light blush appeared on Keima's cheeks. After all those conquests he has done in real life, he had come to realize that even real girls had their own charms. Her fair skin, pretty face, the way her hairband made her look cuter; certainly, Ayumi's was affecting him right now. Before the situation could get any worse, he quickly leaned back and returned to inspecting his new handheld, trying his best to look unfazed.

Desperate to clear the sudden awkward silence, Ayumi could only chuckle nervously as she rubbed the back of her head, attempting to reignite the conversation. "W-Well, I guess games are not that bad…" She flinched a little when she heard Keima… cry?

"YOKKYUN! What have they done to you?!" A struck nerve for Keima! It was instant regret for him for venturing deeper into this abomination of a galge game. He pressed on one of the buttons and quit the game, taking out the cartridge in a rather frustrated manner. He raised his hand up with the cartridge in it and exclaimed, "This is a disgrace! You shall never be played with ever again!" With that, he suddenly slammed it into the cartridge case, somehow locking in place with that one try.

How overdramatic, Ayumi thought. But when she saw that disappointed look on his face, she couldn't help but be concerned about him. To be excited for something only to be let down by it, she knew very much how that felt. "Is… is this the only game you bought?"

Dejectedly, Keima replied, "Yes… it was the only galge game among the launch titles…"

"But what about the other games?"

Keima scoffed. This girl really didn't understand his preferences at all. "I don't care if it's not a galge game."

"But… there were other galge games…"

Now this, Keima didn't know at all, and out of all the people he had to learn about it, was from someone like her. Right, he got too excited when he saw the sequel to his favorite game that he didn't even bother looking at the rest anymore. What a really bad mistake! With a rather surprised look, he asked, "There were others?!" If only he had looked more, he would be playing and hopefully enjoy the other galge games right now.

Ayumi nodded, unaware of how she just rekindled the spirits of the god of conquests. "Yeah, well there was a list posted in front of the store…" Realizing what she had just said, her eyes widened in panic. But before she could even say something, Keima was once again suspicious. "Umm, I mean-"

"_You_ were lining up at the store this morning?"

"W-Well, kind of…" She might've gone a little too early. She was hoping she would run into him and perhaps, have some conversation with him. But she was literally the only one there at that time, and the store was still closed.

Keima crossed his arms. "And what was an athlete like you doing in such a place?"

Ayumi was tense. This felt like an interrogation. What was he, a detective or something?! She gave a nervous smile, "Oh come on Keima, I have other hobbies than sports…"

"Is that so…"

She was surprised to see Keima hold her hand, forcing her to stand up with him. She blushed lightly. "W-What are you doing?"

"You, come with me to the store!" Keima said, or rather ordered her.

"What!? Class is about to start!"

"It's only a few minutes away! Assuming there's no line, we can get there in 5 minutes and go back at the same time." Even if it wasn't an enemy, there was no way he could lose to homeroom! "We'll arrive with a few minutes to spare. But if there are more than 3 people, and assuming they take a minute each, then say goodbye to your perfect attendance!" She did have that, right? He only assumed since she was always early.

"Oh come on!" She'd have to have a good reason to ruin her streak, but for it to be broken by spending time with this guy? Hmm, perhaps that's not a bad thing, at all. "But… why are you taking me with you?" Then it suddenly hit her. She looked at him with hopeful eyes. _Does this mean…?_

Keima said flatly, "So if there are many people going, you get a higher chance to be first, and we could go inside the store faster." He could just slip in beside her and say to the others that they know each other, so why not. She wasn't called the Mai High Missile for nothing.

It was her biggest facepalm of the week. It annoyed her so much that his reasons were always so strange, a curveball.

"Let's go. We won't have a chance to go back in time if we keep standing here." Keima put the new handheld in his pocket. For now, it was useless as it did not have any games. His beloved PFP was still his main gaming device. He glanced down at his table, feeling disgust as he grabbed the game that tarnished Yokkyun's image. _This does not deserve to be called the sequel! _

Ayumi followed him from behind. She thought she was being silly, knowing they were taking a rather short walk to the game store. But she couldn't help but feel happy about it.

* * *

They could see the game store in the distance. Keima's estimated arrival time was on point.

To their surprise, there was no line outside. But Ayumi wasn't taking any risks. She'd still prefer if she still got to school on time, besides, it was her chance to show off her speed.

Keima just kept walking despite being left behind in a cloud of dust as Ayumi ran. He arrived by her side after half a minute later. They went inside the store and there was nobody inside except the clerk, who greeted them kindly. The god of conquest suddenly had a dark aura surround him as he walked towards the counter. "I demand a refund!" He exclaimed as he slammed the game case on the counter.

The clerk flinched in fear. Here's hoping the customer would explain his problem instead of blaming everything on him. "W-What problem did you encounter, sir?"

"This game is terrible! How did this even get released!? This is a disgrace to Yokkyun!" He got his PF Uita from his pocket and inserted the cartridge, showing the clerk this abomination of a galge game. He pointed at screen. "See this!? Do I even need to give more reasons?"

The clerk shivered in fear. It wasn't only the customer he was afraid of. "I-I understand, you'll get your refund." Despite the customer's rage, he was surprised he didn't damage any part of the case and the cartridge. _Ahh, but of course, if he did, then refund is impossible…_

On the other hand, the athlete simply went around and explored the whole store, checking different sections and other devices she'd never seen before. She never realized just how vast this world of video games was. There was like a game for every genre, and even the broad genres were further divided into subgenres. It was insane. _Wow… I never knew there were so much games… it's quite amazing…_

Keima explored the dedicated section for galge games, and he can't stop smiling. There was a pretty modest amount of launch titles for the Uita to his surprise. From there, he selected titles which were totally new. After that traumatizing game, he promised to lay off sequels for a bit. He went back to the clerk, who was still a bit fazed.

It was a pretty short visit. As soon as he paid for the new games, he went out of the store and Ayumi followed.

She saw the paper bag he was carrying. "Wow, you bought 3 games!? Just how much money do you have?" Spending on those games _and_ the handheld on the same day, did he even still have enough for lunch?

"M-Funds."

Ayumi sighed as Keima still used that lingo only he understood. "Okay, whatever you call it…"

Keima adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, if we walk at this pace, we will be late. The refund took some time to do. However, _you _can still make it."

Ayumi chuckled as she held her behinds her back. "I don't really mind if I'm late anymore." She looked at Keima and gave off a caring smile. "If you're gonna be late, then I'll be late with you, alright?"

Keima was startled as he looked at the girl. Here she was, with the sparkling eyes, showing off a kind of personality that only existed in the virtual world of galge. She was willing to sacrifice something just so he wouldn't get in trouble on his own. He couldn't believe it. Perhaps his first conquest was actually the strongest? He looked straight ahead, keeping that serious look on his face, trying to regain his composure.

Ayumi was a little confused. "Keima?" He became silent so suddenly.

"I guess… you're not as bad as I thought…" Keima admitted it. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't even have known about the other galge games for the PF Uita. He just hoped they weren't horrible.

Ayumi's eyes widened. "R-Really?" She felt her heart beating faster. She wasn't ready to hear those words from him, to be actually acknowledged.

"And…" Keima had to take it slowly. He didn't expect this to be more difficult that he thought, even more than his last few conquests. Ugh, curse the real for having these kinds of feelings! It should just be straightforward instead of lumps forming in one's throat! But he finally formed the courage to say it. "…thank you, Ayumi, for telling me about it. I do appreciate it." His tone was softer than usual.

Ayumi looked away as her blush reappeared and her lips quivered. She tried so hard to stop it from forming a smile, but in the end she lost. Hearing those words from him, she felt so… so light, so bubbly. "N-No problem… Keima…" She balled her hands into fists and covered her mouth as she grinned and giggled silently.

"You can always rely on me." Even if it was a small step forward, Ayumi was more than satisfied, because with this, she may have a chance after all.

* * *

**I think I started writing this around January 2017 when I just finished reading the manga. Then for like many months (and years), I got stuck, then kinda forgot about it. Then I looked through my old stories, and saw the file for this, opened it, then I suddenly remembered. And wow, finally, I finished it.**

**I do apologize if the writing suddenly feels different somewhere in the middle after Ayumi reveals to Keima that there are other galge games, since that's where I got stuck.**

**Thanks and I hope you enjoyed reading!**

**[10/13/19] Corrected some errors. Thank you xellos540 for pointing it out! **


End file.
